Thread separator for weft replenishing looms



Aug. 17, 1948. R. e. TURNER THREAD SEPARATOR FOR WEFT REFLENISHING LOOMSFiled Feb. 15, 1946 INVENTOR. V RICHARD 6. TURNER ain-m ATTORNEYPatented Aug. 17, 1948 THREAD SEPARATOR FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMSRichard Turner, Worcester, Mass., asslgnor to Crompton & Knowles LoomWorks, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts ApplicationFebruary 15,1946, Serial No. 647,954

6 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in weft replenishing looms and itis the general object of the invention to provide improved and simplemeans for separating the weft ends extending from a reserve bobbinmagazine. When a pneumatic thread holder is used with a magazine havingseveral stacks of bobbins wound with coarse yarn difficulty is sometimesexperienced in getting the weft ends into the intake mouth due to thefact that the yarns cling together. This condition exists not only atthe intake mouth, but also in the several groups of threads leading fromthe magazine to the holder. It is an important object of my presentinven tion to provide the magazine with a thread separator which willhold the Weft ends of the several thread slots are necessarily narrowand because of this factthe two groups interfere with each other,particularly if the shuttle corresponding to one group is more activethan the shuttle for the other group. It is another object of my presentinvention to provide a thread separator ,ex-

tending along the thread slot and so constructed as to cause a widespacing of the weft ends of the two corresponding stacks of .bobbins.

It is another object of the invention to make the intake mouth of thethread holder of such shape that the groups of weft ends leadingfrom theseparators will enter the mouth at different points, thereby avoidinginterference of the threads of each group with respect to the threads ofthe other groups. This'feature of the -inven-. tion is effected by theuse of some such means as a baffle plate within the thread holder towardwhich all the weft ends converge, the baffle being spaced far enoughfrom the intake mouth beyond the magazine to permit the groups of weftends to occupy their own zones along the length of the intake mouth. I

With these and other objects in view. which will; appear asthe'description proceeds, my invention resides inthe combination of.arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth. In theaccompanying drawings, wherein a convenient embodiment of my inventionis set forth,

Fig. l 'is'a side elevation of part of the 100m 2 having my inventionapplied thereto, parts being in section, v

Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged front elevation, parts being in section, lookingin the direction of arrow 3, Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a detailed view of one of the separators looking in thedirection of arrow 4, Fig.3 and showing the support therefor in section,

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the thread holder on .an enlarged scale,looking in the direction of arrow 5, Fig. 3, and

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section on line 6--6, Fig. 5.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 2, the loom frame l0 supports amagazine M of the multicolor type provided with four groups ofreverse'bobbins designated in Fig. 2 at I, II, III and IV. The magazinehas an outside or end plate ll formed with a bobbin tip guideway l2 foreach stack of bobbins. The plate II is provided with two thread slotsthe forward of which indicated at I3 corresponds to the front pair ofstacks I and II, and the rear of which indicated at [4 corresponds tothe back pair of stacks III and IV.

Weft ,ends extend from the bobbins through their respective threadslots, the weft ends WI and W2 for the front pair of stacks passingthrough slot [3 in a direction away from the loom, while weft ends W3and W4 extend similarly through the rear thread slot l4. As successivetransfer operations occur the bobbins descend toward a common centraltransfer position in the usual manner.

The upper part of frame II is provided with two horizontal bobbin slotsI5 and I 6 corresponding respectively to the front and back pairs ofbobbin stacks, and front and back vertical rods [1 and I8 are securedattheir upper ends to the end frame II and extend downwardly across theirbobbin slots and are spaced a short distance from and substantiallparallel to their corresponding thread slots. When bobbins are placed inthe magazine theyare inserted butt end first through one or the other ofthe horizontal bobbin slots IE or I6 and their weft ends are drawnoutwardly away from the loom in the general manner suggested in Figs. 2and 3.

The pneumatic thread holder to bedescribed in detail hereinafter issupplied with a partial vacuum by. means of an air pump 20 fixed to theloom frame and having a piston 2| operated by a lever 22 connected byrod 23' to the lay L of the loom. As the lay reciprocates backwardly andforwardly the lever 22 causes movement of the piston, and the pump is soconstructed that on backward movement of the lay a partial vacuum iscreated in front of the piston. A pneumatic pipe 25 extends forwardlyfrom the pump to the top of ahollow threadv collector Zfimountedonafixed bracket 21-: A thread holder designated generally at H isconnected pneumatically to the interior of the thread collector and isthe means,v by which the weft ends are kept taut and also the means bywhich a weft end of a transferred bobbin can be drawn into the threadcollector 26. subsequent to cutting at the selvage.

Except as noted hereinafter,,more particularly with reference to thevertical separator rods and the thread holder, the matter thus fardescribed may be of common construction and formed as set forth in myprior Patent No. 2,199,353.

In carrying .my present invention into effect I provide means associatedwith the vertical rods for effecting a considerable separation of thegroups of weft ends, and also alter the thread holder in such mannerthat the separation provided at the magazine can be preserved attheintake mouth of, the thread holder. Referring more particularly to Figs.2, 3 and 4, each of the vertical rods I1 and I8 is provided with a pairof vertically extending wings or vanes serving as thread guides. Thus,rod I! has front and back vanes3ll and 3|, respectively, which aredisposed as shown in Fig. 2.and have thread guide surfaces or edges 32and 33, respectively, which are spaced apart. a. considerable distance.This distance may be equal at least to the spacing of the bobbins of.thetwo front stacks as shown in Fig. 2. In similar manner, the rear rodl8'is provided with front and back wings 35 and 36, respectively, havingvertically. extending thread guiding edges 3'! and 38. The Wings of eachvertical rod extend away from each other and preferablyaway from theassociated thread slot, and the thread guide edges 32,33, 31 and 38serve as shown in Fig. 2'to space thegroupsof weft ends of the severalstacks of bobbins.

The thread holder H is somewhat different from those heretofore proposedin that it is formed with an elongated horizontal intake mouth 4!)facing themagazine andhas aninterior, thread chamber- 4! inwhich islocatedavertical baffle 42 projecting in the present instance diagonallyforwardly as set forth more particularly in Fig; 6. The rear part of theholder H is provided'with an orifice 43which communicates with theinterior of the thread collector 26. A narrow front horizontallyextendingthread slot M in front wall 4513f .theholder communicates withthe upper part OfzthG-fOTWBJ'd endof the intake mouth 40 and extendsalong the rear wall 46 of the holder H.

The groups WI.- W4 of weft ends lead outwardlyfrom the guide edges oftheir respective separators and extend into the elongated mouth 40 andconverge toward the outer end of the bafiie 42, after. which they aredrawn rearwardly through the orifice 43 toward or into the threadcollector 26. Thesegroupsof weft ends are therefore separatedfrom eachother along the intake mouth,

7 eachgroup having its own zone, and when the bottom-bobbin of any givenstack is released for transfer its weft end will move downwardly fromthe associated grouptoward the bottom of the intake mouth 40 andwill bedetachednot only from its own groupbut also from all the other groupsleading into theintake mouth. Because of, this: relationship creation ofsubatmospheric pressures within the thread chamber 4! will draw verticalguide edge, but when the bobbin moves to transfer position its weft endwill move below thelassociat'edi guide edge and extend directly to the.thread holder. It will be understood that magazines of the. type setforth herein operate with a bobbinreleasing mechanism, such as thecradle 5D,.at, the bottom of each stack of bobbins.

The superposed bobbins in a stack rest on the corresponding cradle asthey await transfer, and when a reserve bobbin is called from a selectedstack in well-known manner the cradle thereof will rock to permit thebottom bobbin of the stack to move down to the dotted line positionshown in Fig. 3 where the tip end of the bobbin will be held bywell-known supports one of which is shown at 5!.

The bottom of eachthread guiding edge terminates at a point between theweft end of the bobbin resting on the cradle and the weft end of abobbin resting on the support 5|. The pneumatic suction within thethread holder will tend to draw the Weft end of a bobbin in transferposition in't'o mouth 48 and hold the thread taut,.with the result thatthe weft end is not only moved downwardly in the intake mouth 4!! but isalso moved along the latter away from its group toward a centralposition.

I find that the relation between the bottom of the thread guiding edgesand the threads of'the bobbins on the cradle and support 5| is ofparticular importance with respect to the front and back stacks I andIV, but it also has the beneficial effect on the threads from the innerstacks II and'III. An inspection of Fig. 2 will showthat each group-ofweft ends is deflected from a straight line by the corresponding wing,and as each bobbin drops from the bottom of'its stack to transferposition its thread will be straightened and caused to move with respectto the other threads of the corresponding groupof weft ends.

From the foregoing it will be seenthat I'have providedan improvedthreadiholder and control mechanism for the weft ends of ,a reservebobbin magazineso' constructed thatthe weft ends-approach an elongatedintake mouth along separated paths. The separation of the paths iseffected by thefins on the vertical separators, and these fins terminateat their lower ends in such position that when. the bottom bobbin. ofany stack moves to transfer position its weft end will be straightenedfrom its previously deflected or bent path and thereby be movedrelatively to its group of.weft ends. The baffle 42, the intake mouth40, andthe thread separators are so related that the weft ends of theseveral groups of bobbins enter the intake mouth at. different pointsdistributedalong its length andconverge toward the baffle 42; Thecombination of the. magazine, thread holder and separatoris notclaimed'herein but is claimed in my copending application Serial No.626,462, filed November 3, .945, now Patent No. 2,427,538, September 16,1947.

Havingthus described my invention it willbe seen that changes andmodifications may be made thereinby those skilled in the art withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention and I do not wishto be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what I claim is:

1. A thread separator for a reserve bobbin magazine having a thread slotextending vertically therein, said separator having a central rod formedat the upper end thereof for attachment to the magazine and having aforwardly extending wing provided with a front thread guide edge andhaving also a rearwardly extending wing provided with a rear threadguide edge, said rod when attached at the upper end thereof to themagazine holding said guide edges substantially parallel to the threadslot.

2. A thread separator for a reserve bobbin magazine have a verticallyextending thread slot, said separator comprising two verticallyextending wings, one of said wings extending forwardly and having afront thread guide edge and the other wing extending rearwardly andhaving a rear thread guide edge, and said separator having means forattaching the same to the magazine with the front thread guide edgeforward of the thread slot and with the rear thread guide edge rear ofthe thread slot.

3. In a reserve bobbin magazine provided with a pair of verticallyextending stacks of reserve bobbins, the upper part of the magazinehaving a horizontally extending bobbin slot through which bobbins arepassed for placement in said stacks, and the magazine having avertically extending thread slot intermediate the stacks, a rod securedat the upper end thereof to the magazine above said bobbin slot andextending downwardly across the latter, and forwardly and backwardlyextending thread guiding wings secured to said rod and extendingsubstantially parallel to the thread slot and having their upper endsterminating below said horizontal bobbin slot.

4. In a magazine having a pair of vertical spaced stacks of reservebobbins, one in front of the other, the magazine having a. horizontallyextending bobbin slot common to said stacks 6 said bobbin slotintermediate the ends thereof and substantially parallel to the threadslot, and thread guiding wings secured to said rod below the bobbinslot, one of said wings extending forwardly and having a thread guideedge forward of the thread slot and the other wing extending rearwardlyand having a thread guide edge rearward of said thread slot.

5. In a magazine having a pair of vertical spaced stacks of reservebobbins, one in front of the other, the magazine having a horizontallyextending bobbin" slot common to said stacks and having a verticalthread slot extending downwardly from the bobbin slot and through whichextend the weft ends of the bobbins, a thread holder for weft ends, anda thread separator secured to the magazine and havin a narrow upper partextending across the bobbin slot intermediate the stacks and having awider lower part located between the magazine and the thread holder andproviding front and back guide edges for the weft ends of thecorresponding stacks.

6. A thread separator for a reserve bobbin magazine having a thread slotextending vertically therein, said separator having a rod formed at theupper end thereof for attachment to the magazine and a forwardlyextending wing extending lengthwise of and secured to the rod and havinga front thread guide edge the upper part of which is inclined upwardlyand toward the rod and the lower part of which is substantially parallelto the rod, said rod when attached at the upper end thereof to themagazine holding said lower part of the guide edge substantiallyparallel to the thread slot.

RICHARD G. TURNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the L0 fileof this patent:

through which bobbins may be passed for place- 1 ment in the stacks, themagazine also having a vertically extending thread slot intermediate thestacks, a rod secured to the magazine above the bobbin slot andextending downwardly across UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date1,495,717 Ryon May 27, 1924 2,199,353 Turner Apr. 30, 1940 2,326,905Turner ...,Aug. 17, 1943 2,401,593 Wakefield June 4, 1946

